Sean Wiles impresses again in Royals' victory

Sean Wiles knew his teammates were going to razz him about the hat trick that got away.

Before the chirping could get too loud, he found the best way to silence it.

The forward's empty-netter with 12 seconds left was the finishing touch in the Reading Royals' 6-2 victory over Wheeling at Santander Arena Wednesday night.

Wiles finished with three goals, an assist and an interesting story to tell about his first hattie.

He actually did it twice.

With fewer than 30 seconds remaining in the third period, Wiles sent the puck from the Royals' defensive blue line into the vacant net.

Teammates raised their arms, the horn sounded and a few hats flew onto the ice, but the play was ruled offsides.

A few seconds later, Wiles repeated the feat.

This time it counted.

"It was kind of funny to me," he said. "The guys had a good laugh about it. Thankfully, I got another chance."

Wiles is living right these days.

In five games since returning from AHL Bridgeport, he has four goals and nine assists. He has at least two points in four of those games.

"He's playing unbelievable," forward Julien Cayer said. "He's doing the little things right and it pays off in the end."

The timing couldn't be better for the Royals (16-12-1), who have been decimated by departures at forward.

They lost three of their top scorers, Dustin Gazley, Louie Caporusso and T.J. Syner, in the span of two days shortly before the new year.

Gazley was reassigned to AHL Hershey. Caporusso went overseas. Syner was injured.

Wiles' return on Dec. 28 after a seven-week absence proved crucial.

"He's been on fire since coming back," coach Larry Courville said. "His skating has really improved. When you skate at a higher level, that sometimes happens. It's nice to have him back, for sure."

Wiles has been paired with captain Yannick Tifu and Ryan Cruthers and the line has clicked.

Cruthers had two goals and an assist and Tifu had four assists Wednesday night. The threesome produced all six goals.

"Since I got back it has just been going well," said Wiles, who had 26 goals with Las Vegas last season. "I get to play with Tifu and Cruthers right now. We're finding each other. We're working hard for each other."

Wiles said his 11-game stay with Bridgeport helped turn around his season. He had three goals and an assist in nine games before the call-up.

The third-year pro applied some lessons from the AHL.

"I have to use my body a lot more," Wiles said. "I'm a good player when I move my feet. When I don't I'm like a pylon out there. Learning these things about myself has helped my career."

Wednesday night brought Wiles' first hat trick as a pro. He said he came close in the past, hitting the post while going for No. 3.

It looked like this one might also slip away.

"I was busting him a little bit on the bench," Cayer said. "It was great. He got sent down from Bridgeport and he's been hot since then. I guess we'll take him in the lineup."